Thankfully, we still have power and water. I went to bed around 3.30am and woke up around 11.30 to a clear sky. I still am having a hard time grasping how devastating this actually was/is for so many people. We New Yorkers are a tough, resilient lot, but I wonder how long it'll be before we get the city back up and running. Flooding wasn't just all downtown, but above where we live, as well - I heard Inwood park was submerged, as well as some parts on the UES - like the 86th st station, which is one I happen to stop at on my way to work. Feel free to check out Instinct's FB page and see how dedicated my bosses are - sleeping at the kennel during the storm :)

Well, since we still have power, might as well update y'all. Lots of crazy stuff going on downtown. It's so surreal for me because where I am, nothing much seems to be happening. Looks like it'll be raining all day tomorrow and throughout Wednesday and possibly Thursday. Apparently, Sandy has been downgraded to a tropical storm but lots of damage has been done. Power has been lost in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Jersey, and Lower Manhattan. Severe flooding all in downtown Manhattan - from 23rd and 9th to 34th and 1st. And just think - we have tunnels all under the city that have already been filled. If we didn't have all of those, how much higher would the water be? One reason for all the power outages is because a Con-ed plant on 14th street exploded. Crazy. Check out the 3minute mark on the video below.

Over 10,000 calls per HALF HOUR to 911 are being made. There's a crane on top of the new high-rise being built on 57th and 8th that is dangling over the edge and in danger of falling. The brick facade of a building on 14th and 8th got ripped off because of the wind - you could see straight into the apartments. Man, who knows when all this will get cleaned up. Not to mention all the nasty things that will be moving in an upward direction. Not looking forward to the smell, either. Here's a link to a radio station updating conditions in NYC: Listen Live. So far, Stry, Carolyn, and I are all well and safe. I'm going to go cook some of the stuff in

Well, I've been home from work for about 7hrs and thought about writing a post. Since I'm STILL up (at nearly 2am), might as well get crackalackin'.

So, Growing Up Life Skills: NYC Edition includes "How To Survive A Hurricane". We had Hurricane Irene last year and there was so much hype and my mom freaked out (isn't that what mothers do - worry about their offspring?), she even tried to get me to fly back home to WI. Hah, yeah. That didn't fly. (ba-dum-chh. Sorry.) I'd never been through any major environmental upheaval, being raised in WI and all (well, there was a pretty bad storm once - but I was super little and didn't know anything but to sit in the basement w/ the fam and play games. Epic. Life skills, right there.), soP I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I did my research and listened to wise suggestions from friends and family - stock up on food, fill the bathtub with water so you can flush the toilet, get a flash light and/or candles, etc. etc. etc. Well, I did all that. And ya know what?

Irene turned out to be a huge nothing here in NYC proper - all we got was some rain, and that wouldn't've even been a problem if our bedroom ceiling hadn't've been leaking. You know, I'm pretty sure we still have some granola from last year's Hurricane Nottobe.

Everyone in NYC is taking this pretty seriously. I hadn't paid much attention, to be honest. I'd heard here and there about some storm coming up the coast. Whatever. Weather does that. I was at work last night, then all day today, and had no idea anything was even going on until my boss stopped into work and mentioned the subways were closing down at 7pm (meaning the MTA, not the sub shops :P Thought that would be tragic if they closed at 7 everyday...). Well, lucky me, I get off at 5pm. I got a voicemail from my hair salon saying they were closing tomorrow because public transport would still be down. All school was cancelled. This city is getting locked down, I tell ya. Better to be safe than sorry, I suppose. But I can't help but feel skeptical that it's all a lot of hooplah like last year and will turn out to be a great big forced vacation (which wouldn't be so bad if I had a significant other. Alas, it looks like I'll be getting fat with my cat watching movies and eating whatever's in the 'fridge. There are worse fates, I suppose.).

I guess we shall see in the next day or two how ginormous this supposedly 800mile wide storm actually is, and how terribly it will crash into NYC. I might end up eating this entire post (figuratively, not literally. I need my computer.). At least we know I won't get flooded, and hopefully no issues with the windows since we're not a high and mighty high-rise. This year, I feel much more in-line with the "New York" side of things:

Though, I'm sorry to say I am woefully stocked on alcohol and mixers. Next year's hurricane will not see me so ill-prepared, I can promise ya that! I already have candles, thanks to my pumpkin carving endeavors. And, as I was at work, I didn't have time to brave the stores for supplies. Thankfully, I'm pretty awesome and usually have a well-stocked kitchen. Booyah. I do need to get cat food, though. I wonder if the pet store will be open tomorrow. And I knew I shoulda put those checks in the bank a while ago. Ah well. Maybe I'll get up early before things get going (if this show ever gets started!) and do all the little things that constantly pop up needing doing.

I wonder what would happen if the Statue of Liberty got washed away. That would be weird.

And what if I actually wrote a book entitled Growing Up Life Skills: NYC Edition?? The wheels. They be a turnin'.

Of course, now that I've said (or rather, written) all this, just watch - SandyFrankenStorm is going to crash against NYC with a vengeance.

You ever have one of those days where you keep seeing the same thing over and over again? Take today, for instance - it seems to be national make-out day or something. Traipsing around NYC I have seen multiple couples just nomming on each others' faces. Which, I mean, I suppose happens all the time, but sometimes things stick out to you different. Also, today, there are old, hairy, quite possibly homeless, men in spandex clothing doing weird exhibition stuff on the streets in completely different parts of town. There was a day I saw 4 or 5 old, blind, Chinese men - I even made sure to check if it happened to somehow be the same guy. Nope. All different. Or the day people's left foot was hurt. It's weird the things you happen to notice of a day. Maybe that's the brilliant thing about NYC. Maybe that's the brilliant thing about life.

It's no secret that I suffer from a plethora of maladies. I've always had rather poor health, and brother Paul refers to me as "Victorian frail" - in the most loving way possible. I won't deny that it sucks sometimes, but I've always been thankful I don't have anything deadly and I've never let them get in the way of everyday life if I can help it. I always try to buck myself up whenever I'm feeling terribly blue by saying I'm this way because the world couldn't handle me at full strength :P

One thing I've always suffered from is headaches - ever since I was a child. They have been my constant companion these many years. It was a nuisance, but normal. I figured everyone suffered from them and were constantly feeling poorly, like I was. Oh ho, my dear readers, how wrong I was. My mom deduced that I have a condition called Scotopic Sensitivity - it manifests in different ways for each person, and for me it ended up making my brain work extra hard to have things (like letters on a page) appear normal and block out colors and shapes from appearing. My mom teaches dyslexic people how to read and does screening for Scotopic Sensitivity (also known as Irlen Syndrome), as it can play a huge factor. So, last Christmas, she screened me. I thought it was all rather silly and a waste of time. I'm not dyslexic and have always been an avid reader - often reading all day and well into the night, enthralled in a particularly thrilling novel. But, I decided to humor her. I was boggled at the things I was seeing! Part of the test was looking at pieces of white paper with letters and shapes on them for several minutes, and looking at them for that long, I started seeing shadow pictures, dots and other shapes, and surprisingly, a rainbow spectrum of colors! I started getting a headache. Mom turned on some blue-colored light bulbs and I felt immediate relief.

Long story short (again...), she said I needed to see a specialist to get specific colored glasses and contacts. Hah. Right. Like I was going to do that. It wasn't THAT bad - I'd been dealing with it for however long and could continue to do so, thank you very much. It only affected me when I looked at white paper for a long time, and why ever would I be doing that? I did buy some blue colored bulbs for my apartment, and that put an end to it.

Fast forward to late September. I'm visiting home and my mom says we could go to the Irlen specialist in Minneapolis and get special lenses. As I have nothing better to do, I agree. I can also make a direct flight back to NYC from there. Score! It's an absolutely beautiful drive - all the trees are in full Fall color, and I enjoy long drives with my mom :) Double score!

The testing itself took 3 looooooong hours, which I did not anticipate. And it just fascinated and confused me how different colors could change things - make my focus sharper, make me feel sick in an instant, make the floor look like it was slanting, make the walls curve in, be soothing to look at - just a myriad of different reactions - and all to color! I didn't understand, and I still don't. You know whenever you go to an eye store, they have those rounds discs of color? Well, the testing was having me look through a whole range of different color discs like those to find which ones helped me. And once we found one pair, we did the whole thing again to find another color that could go over the first pair, and then we did it again for a third layer. We could've added a 4th layer, but I/my eyes/brain preferred the three layers. I ended up with 1 rose, 1 blue, and 1 green (various shades of each in their particular spectrum). Those colors would be melded together to make actual lenses that would go into the new frames I'd gotten back in Appleton. We had tried to find tint-able contacts, but nowhere in Appleton sold the particular type they needed to be for the Irlen tinting.

The lady said I would need (and actually want) to wear the glasses consistently for them to work best. I was dubious about that - I only like wearing my regular glasses every so often when necessary (like at the theatre) because I don't want to become dependent on them and have my eyesight get even worse. Two weeks after being tested, my glasses arrived in the mail. Well, there they were, expensive little beasts, might as well try them out.

FLASH! BAM!! ALAKAZAM!!!!! Zing went the strings of my heart! Or rather, my brain. The Heavens opened and poured their glory. But seriously, there was an immediate difference that was simply astonishing. I always figured fluorescent lights were obnoxious and bothered everyone. Not only do they NOT bother everyone, but now they don't bother me! Whenever I start getting a headache or feel nauseous at work, reading, sitting in front of my computer, anything really - I just put my glasses on and immediately feel better! I can't believe it! And, AND! I wore them in a tap class today, and what a difference! One thing that happened (a symptom, if you were) when we were trying the difference colors, I ended up picking up my feet when I walked. I'm a shuffler. I've always shuffled when I walk - I distinctly remember one of my sisters commenting on it. It was just how I walked. I didn't think it had anything to do with the way my brain perceived and processed light waves. But apparently, it is! And I'd noticed the past few months in tap class, I would get easily frustrated and feel crappy - I knew I could tap better than what I was doing in class, but my feet just weren't cooperating and I got angry and frustrated, everything sounded so loud and looked so bright that I got a headache, and I just wanted to leave. I kept my glasses on today, and the very first things we were doing I could do so cleanly and crisply, it all just fell into place like I knew it should have been doing all along! The noise didn't give me a headache, neither did the lights, and I didn't start to feel sick halfway through!

I'm so excited that we found a way to help me, when I didn't even know I had a problem! I've become heartily sick of doctors, because I know I have issues, and I'm paying them loads of money to help fix me, and they can't - they just test, and drug, and hurt me, and then they can't figure out what's wrong or how to improve my conditions. Well, aha! My mom found out a problem AND how to help fix me. Aren't moms the best? :D

Not gunna lie, this last week really sucked. Well, it was hard for me. But it had to happen at some point. You know when there are moments in your life that are major milestones and you realize them for what they are in the moment, and know you'll always look back and remember that moment for what it was? Yeah. That happened to me. It was just a lot of life issues that all smashed together at once, like a miniature world collision (like in Doctor Who, when the Tardis exploded and the earth was unmade - so it felt a little like that, only on a much less cataclysmic scale). It didn't help that I was overly emotional all week for feminine reasons, either. I am usually a very level-headed, focused, driven individual. Every so often, though, my body decides not to act normally and I sink and sink and sink under a feeling of overwhelming despair which usually ends in a mass of grief-stricken weeping. If I'm lucky, I'll be alone when it happens. Stry loves me no matter how ugly I look and sound :P

Anyway, to make a long story short (;P), reality hit me last week in a big way. Ordinarily, I would've been able to deal with it in a prompt, well-planned manner. But, as I was otherwise inconvenienced with bouts of weeping, noshing desserts, and feeling absolutely terrified, it took a little longer than normal. But, I got there. It helped that today was a pretty great day, on the whole. I had a great audition this morning, a terrific work meeting (have I mentioned lately that I have the best job ever? I mean, our bosses take us out to Mexican restaurants and ply us with liquor for our meetings. All work meetings should be conducted thus), and went to Redeemer's Musical Theatre Forum (though, I make a vow never to sing that sloppily in front of people ever, EVER again).

I've been doing a lot of thinking about possibilities, and it's so strange that my boss randomly came into work last week (at a point where I was seriously considering if I've made some major life mistakes...), and out of the blue gave me a terrific little speech about pursuing what you love - through the hardships, struggles, fears, all the things that come up that might push you away or try to change your course, there is nothing more worthwhile than doing what you love. He said it much better than I've poorly tried to relay, and of course it doesn't/shouldn't apply to all people (like serial killers who like to wear other people's skin....), but it was just what I needed to hear that night. It was just so out of the blue to hear it from him - that's what really made me listen and take note, more so than if I'd heard it from someone in my profession or close to me, personally. God knows what I need, and when things are getting so bleak I can't tough it out by myself anymore, He knows just what to send and how.

So, plans are forming. Hope is returning. I got my boy by my side and candles burnin' on my "hearth".

I love food. I think it's safe to say that everyone who knows me knows that. I love to cook, I love to eat, and I love a good presentation (though I'm working on that particular skill and will be for some time, I'm sure). I don't recall feeling this strongly about food for my whole life. I think it started a'brewin' when I was 15 - I distinctly recall wanting to learn how to cook. Too bad the desire waited so long to strike me, because by the time I was 15 my grandma was already dead, and she was a fabulous cook - I truly would've loved to learn from her. My mom is a good cook, but absolutely hates doing it. She claims she just has some great recipes which is why we all love her food :P While a good recipe is, indeed, a must, I think I got a good helping of cooking skill from both sides of my family. And I think my gastronomical leaning really rose when I moved to NYC. Back home, I had spent most of my time with animals - hours upon hours at the barn - riding, cleaning, feeding, etc. etc. etc. Because of all the heart break I've suffered with my horses, I thought giving it up when I moved to the City would be easy. But that void had to be filled somehow. It was never a conscious decision to have food take such a hold of my life, but I'm so glad it did.

I remember hearing stories about the dreaded Freshman 15, eating nothing but Ramen, and cafeteria food tasting like plastic. Well, as I was at school 12-15hrs per day in classes, dancing, rehearsing, stressing, not to mention I haven't gained or lost weight in many years, Freshman 15 wasn't an issue. I ate Ramen occasionally, but by no means lived off of it like some of my friends. And, well, it was AMDA - they didn't have a food plan.

Maybe one reason I've garnered such an appreciation for food is because I was now on my own and had to figure it out. I've always liked the finer things in life, usually way beyond my monetary bounds to live by such a style. But food - you can make something simply blissfully divine tasting, and not necessarily have to spend lots and lots of money to buy it from some grand French restaurant. I guess that was also one reason I started my Pinterest Food Challenge. What better way to find new recipes than browsing through endless amounts of pictures and pinning the ones you like, having a spot where they're all together, and linked back to the original recipe - how easy is that?! I've come across some ok recipes, some major duds, and some pretty amazing ones that have gone into my personal cookbook - where only the best of the best survive to get made over and over and over and over and over....well, you get the picture.

One problem I've come up against (which, I totally don't mean to be politically incorrect or a horrible person when there are thousands of people out there who go without and live in poor conditions with hardly anything to eat...now I'm not sure I want to go on, I'm starting to feel guilty...so, I guess I won't call it a "problem" - issue? blockade? hurdle?) is that I'm in a constant state of fullness. I think this started when I visited home in September, and was constantly eating, therefore, I was constantly full. I remember the days (hello 6th grade!) when I was able to eat anything and everything under the sun twice over. Yep. Those days are definitely behind me. I can definitely tell when I eat something unhealthy now, too, which suuuucks. I love pizza! And breadsticks. A lot. But my body isn't very happy when I eat a whole pizza and box of breadsticks by myself. Ah well. At least I do greatly enjoy healthy food - fruits, vegetables, meat, etc. [In fact, I would never be able to live without meat. Kudos to people who do, and I do find animal farms absolutely terrible institutions, but I think they'll always be around. It's cruel, I know, but I can't see how America would do without them (I would love to be proven wrong, btw). And I don't believe me not eating meat would make a lick of difference in their operation. I was at work for 15 1/2hrs on Sunday (yaa money - and that's when I ate the pizza and breadsticks. Yaa Papa Johns!), and read a magazine by Farm Sanctuary, which was actually where my bosses were visiting that weekend. I thought it was really terrific what they do, and it would be a place I would love to volunteer at some day - seems a bit more realistically do-able than hying off to Africa to work at a Big Cats or Elephant Sanctuary. But I don't think I could do a whole month at FS - because I think they're all vegans there and I couldn't ever go that long without meat. I actually remember sometime last winter seeing a bunch of people with animal signs in Columbus Circle, about to go on a walk for animal rights or some such - they were part of FS.] ANYWAY, the thing is I am full a lot of the time, so while there are so many recipes that need making, I don't cook when I'm not hungry, and often when I do cook, I make enough to feed me for half a week! Take the Tomato Basil soup I made last night. I followed the recipe, and have an entirely full crock pot of soup. Even with Carolyn and John eating it, I'm sure it'll be here for a few days. Of course, maybe I should consider becoming a woman who freezes things. Now, that's an idea... Though, that means I would need to go and get the PROPER type of gallon ziplock bags...

And you know, it's a good thing I dance often, stress a lot, and walk everywhere, otherwise I swear I would blow up like HP's aunt in the 3rd book/movie (though that was due to magic, and not eating...though she was fat from food, too.)

For all my talk about food, it's surprising I have no new pictures to share with you, dear readers.

I take after both of my parents, which is a good and bad thing. While I happily seem to have my father's impeccable sense of time and direction, I unfortunately inherited my mother's penchant for clutter*. Sigh. A constant battle I forever seem to be losing. But I also, thankfully, inherited some of my dad's organizational skills - while I'm not the absolute wiz he is at it, I am not an utter loss, and have yet to give up the fight! I'm a reader of my cousin Jenna's blog, and she recently had a post about bins and her absolute love and devotion to them.

My mom and I went to Minneapolis at the end of my visit to see about getting me properly coloured lenses to help treat my Scotopic Sensitivity. Afterwards, we had a few hours to kill, and what should happen to be next to the airport but IKEA. We both had never been, so we decided to check out what all the hype was about. It was a pretty interesting place - we both especially liked the three or four "demo" homes - how to set up a whole little house in less than 600 Sq ft. I've come to the conclusion my kitchen is woefully laid out. Ah well.

There happens to be an IKEA in Brooklyn. I was hoping for a partner in crime for this little adventure, however, all my friends were unavailable for one reason or another. I was going it solo. Something I've become good at. Which has its ups and downs. But we shan't dwell on that now, dear readers. I traipsed myself down to the South Street Seaport this morning to await the free (on the weekend) ferry that would charter me over chill waters to the Brooklyn destination. The ferry was supposed to leave at 12, according to the online time chart. To my dismay, as I got there a little past 11.40, I saw the ferry already leaving!! I look at the chart they had posted at the dock, and sure enough, it said departing at 11.40 - and the next one wouldn't leave 'til 12.20. A hitch already. Ah well, at least I'd brought my book. I sat down and started reading, and boy did the time fly, because soon people were already lining up to get on the ferry. I closed my book, joined the queue, and made my way to the top deck, so I could enjoy the breeze and sunshine. I look over and see the giant sign across the water telling the time and temperature. Ok, seriously - why did it tell the temperature in Celsius? This is America here, and we're not all scientists. It was one of the silliest thing I ever did see. And it also seemed to be only 12. Huh. I checked my phone, and sure enough - the ferry seemed to leave on the original time of 12pm, even though the time at the dock said 12.20. Well, lucky me.

After a mere 10 minute jaunt, the blue beast that is IKEA loomed before my eyes like a squat troll on the shore. In no time at all, we were docked and ashore. I double checked the time chart at this ferry port to make sure I had the correct times. Well, they also had the messed up times, but someone had scratched out the Pier 11 Departures and over it wrote IKEA, and crossed out the IKEA Departures and written Pier 11. Funny that IKEA/whoever was in charge of printing these rather important signs had gotten them mixed up, and that someone had to revert to scratchitti to get them right.

I had a few things in mind to acquire on this little adventure of mine - a large wooden cutting board (check), micro-wave safe mixing bowls (double check) and some sort of bin-age (triple check). I browsed their showroom then went to the first floor to get what I'd really gone there for. This store had a better selection of bins than the MN store, but the people here were definitely NOT as nice - they were actually rather rude, which was annoying. Anyway, I ended up getting a 6 piece set of purple bins that can fold up, and 2 super nice, sturdier dark colored bins for my living room. The purple ones are currently helping organize the cupboard under the sink in the bathroom, and the tupperware in the kitchen. The living room ones are now holding all the random cords/chargers/electronics/office supplies that had been cluttering up the cubbies in the table. They fit perfectly in the cubbies and look smashing (and it's so nice to look at now!). I may end up getting some more larger bins in which I can stash all the random papers I have floating around.

I must also say how fantastic the bag I made for myself is - the one for which I created the pattern. It holds a lot. I was able to fit everything into it to carry back to Manhattan, and therefore didn't have to spend extra money to buy an IKEA bag. I also got a yummy, warm cinnamon bun on my way out :) I kind of want another one.

I boarded the ferry (after getting a few more minutes to read), and the ride back to Manhattan was quite enjoyable - clipping through the water, cold air refreshing my face, passing The Statue of Liberty and thinking about all the very many people who came to this country and saw her as a symbol of freedom and a fresh start, and now seeing the skyline of this great city, with the new Freedom Tower just peeking above the other buildings. It was rather moving, and made me think about a lot of things, which I won't bore you with now.*I don't mean to imply this is the only thing I've inherited from my mother - far from it! I've gotten many of her wonderful traits, chief among them her gentle heart and spirit :)

One of the great things about visiting home was getting to grocery shop and cook and not have to pay for any of it. Going to the store with my mom was fantastic - "Whatever you want, get it" she told me. It was such a new concept for me that for once I didn't actually need to snap up the cheapest items and count every penny. I was able to splurge on a few things - like a 4 pack of bottled Sprecher's Rootbeer :) We went to the apple orchard, constantly went to restaurants, traipsed up and down Oktoberfest - in other words, I was constantly eating my entire vacation. Which is as it should be. But as time went on, I increasingly felt of one mind with Hwin, when. staying with the Hermit, she proclaimed, "I'm getting as fat as a pet pony - eating all day and getting no exercise." Too true, my friend, too true. Though, I weighed myself every day, and never gained any weight. Huh. I sure felt fatter.

Anyway, here are the PFC recipes I made while on vacation. I made many other things as well, but didn't want to take the time to photograph and write them all down.

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables with Mashed Cauliflower(wk 22 - click the names for links to the original recipes)Roasting Chicken (I bought a fine fowl fellow named Horatio)Vegetables - I used 4-5 carrots, 2-3 celery sticks, 1 large onion, 2 sweet potatoes, a bit of garlic, and brussel sprouts (per my brother in law's request)olive oilSalt and pepper1 head cauliflowerA few tablespoons of vegetable broth1 TBLS butterSalt and Pepper(I changed this recipe because Rob can't have cream)

1.Chop up all the veggies and put in a bunt or angel cake pan seasoned with a bit of olive oil and S/P. Place the bird's butt on top of the hole so he's sitting nicely. (Ok, I know that sounds really dirty, so I'm just going to snigger quietly to myself and move on.) Feel free to season your bird however you so desire. I used what was in my sister's kitchen - so Basil, Parsley, Oregano, some lemon pepper seasoning, olive oil, and a bit of butter. Make sure you season under the skin as well.2.Roast at 400 degrees for 15minutes per pound, plus an extra 15minutes. I think Horatio roasted for about 2hrs. A meat thermometer would be a good idea, esp. if your oven is funky. Also, be sure to put a cookie sheet underneath to catch the drips.

I put the brussel sprouts in for the last 30-40 minutes. I'd never made them before, and read a whole lot of different things about how to make them. The ones on top turned out fine, but the ones not directly on the surface didn't cook quite enough. My sister and I aren't partial to them anyway, but Rob enjoyed them.

This was a fine way to roast a bird and vegetables together, and it tasted delicious, but having the bird upright made Horatio come out kind of funny...

How YOU doin'?

Anyway, on to the cauliflower:

1.Cut up the cauliflower head into small pieces and put in a microwave safe dish with the vegetable broth and butter. Microwave 5 min, stir, and microwave another 5 minutes. 2.Process in a blender. Season with S/P and cheese if you want, and done!

I'd never tried mashed cauliflower before, and indeed am not a huge fan of cauliflower in the first place.

However, once I made this dish, I am a firm believer. It was so light and fluffy, utterly delicious, and super easy! Definitely will be making these instead of mashed potatoes from now on.

Being the Fall time of year, of course I was going to try as many apple recipes as possible. Here they are.

Apple Cider in an Apple Cup (wk.21)Ok, ok - I didn't make the actual apple cider, I was just doing this to make a cup out of an apple, because how awesome is that? Pretty awesome.

So, you cut out the core from the top, then scoop out the insides with a spoon - being careful not to puncture all the way through. Fill with warm apple cider, garnish with a cinnamon stick, and voila!

It was the presentation. Isn't it always? And after you're done, you can EAT your cup!! Awesome!

I got super excited when I found out the cinnamon stick could act as a straw...

Definitely the highlight of that day. Oh Appleton, the things you do to me.

Cook 8hrs on low, completely submerged in water, in the crockpot. Cool for 2hrs in the fridge. Voila! Well, supposedly. I, however, found this to be quite disappointing. I mean, just compare the two pictures (mine here and from the original link)- an obvious difference. I followed the directions, but heck if I know why it didn't taste (or particularly look) like caramel. I thought this'd be an easier, cheaper alternative to buying the caramel from the store, but it didn't taste like caramel at all - but rather, sweet, thick milk. Bleg. Ahh well, can't win 'em all I suppose.

I've never been one for oatmeal, and the original title was Apple Pie Breakfast, so I expected something amazing. I was slightly disappointed. I found it rather bland, as I do all oatmeal. However, when I decided to add in some of the store bought caramel, it was absolutely delicious! Maybe it wasn't as sweet because I used fresh apple cider from the orchard instead of apple juice with all its unnatural sweeteners. But with the caramel it was pretty delicious and made a whole lot. I'd probably make it again.

I wasn't in the mood for bourbon at that time of day, so I just mixed some cider and ginger ale and was pleasantly surprised by the taste - it felt like sparks were dancing on my tongue. Not in a painful way - it was crisp and refreshing. I will definitely be drinking this again.

This is an absolutely healthy and delicious dish, easy to make, and it makes a lot! Very warm and filling - perfect for this chilly weather we're getting.

I'm very happy I was able to continue my PFC while on vacation - and it was so nice not to have to buy all my own ingredients. Hopefully, one day, I'll be as financially secure as my parents. But aren't you supposed to be a poor penny pincher in your twenties? Looks like I'm right on track :)

I must say, it was an absolute joy being home. When I first moved out here, I didn't like going back home - I would get there and want to get back to the bustling city within a few days. But over the past few months I've really been hearing/reading things about how important family is, and how important it is to maintain relationships, because when you're old and on your deathbed, you probably aren't going to wish you had worked more, but rather spent more time with those you love. I've been work work work, which is good for being in the city, and I was a bit trepidatious that I would want to jet back to NYC after the first few days - though I was scheduled to be there for 2 1/2wks, as I hadn't visited since Christmas.

Crisis Averted. I had such a wonderful time, and I kept it pretty low key this time - not planning much, only seeing a few people. I was there to relax and hang out with my family - which ended up being much easier than I anticipated. I mean, it's always nice to see my family, but for so long? And do I even know the meaning of the word "relax"? But none of it was a problem. I didn't want to race back to NY, I was able to kick back and relax, watch movies, hang out, read books, cook food, go out to eat with people, sit on porches and drink, and sew. It was all very cathartic. And I was able to fall asleep quickly every single night, which is a veritable miracle. There seem to be no worries at home.

Seeing as how I have problems remember what I did yesterday, let alone on a vacation over the past few weeks, I can't give a detailed account of my activities. However, I shall elaborate on the things I remember/especially had fun doing. 1. Meeting and hanging out with my niece - Calice Tabitha Anderson, aka Little Nugget Pumpkin Nut.

This was after she was baptized. I bought her that dress in Antigua, Guatemala :)

As referenced in this post, I've fallen completely in love with the little Pumpkin Nut. It was so much fun getting to know her, and her to know me, and watch her, feel her suck on my fingers, make noises at her, and on the last day, read and sing with my sister to her :) I am very sad I'll have to wait so long to see her again - she's going to be so big! On the day I left, she learned how to roll over.

Look at that smirky little face!

2.Making dinner for my sister and her husband.

My brother-in-law (quite a fantastic fellow if I do say so) is on a particular diet called The Specific Carbohydrate Diet. He isn't allowed to have a lot of stuff, so figuring out a dinner (and preferably one from my PFC), was a bit daunting. However, I found some recipes my sister said were allowed, made some substitutions, and voila! A marvelous dinner - and one my sister said was the best she'd ever had! :) It consisted of roast chicken (thank you, Horatio, for giving your life so we could eat your juicy, tender flesh), roasted vegetables, and mashed cauliflower. Obviously, more will be coming on that in a later post.

It was a lot of fun cooking in my sister's kitchen. They have the cutest house, a fantastic kitchen, and a lovely garden, from which I got to pick tomatoes on my first day there! I had a blast :) They also have a compost heap, so it was cool feeling like I used everything I prepared to make dinner. 3.Hanging out with my mom.

And I seriously can't believe I forgot to take any pictures of us together!! We were just having such a great time we couldn't slow down to capture it :P We ate out. A lot. (Melting Pot, yummy...). We shopped, went to Door County, drank wine together, and in general, lollygagged around. It was blissful.

4. Sewing.

I got a lot of time to sew. I decided to get back into the swing of things (aka, see if I still knew how to use the machine) by making a baby blanket for Calice. Success.

I also made 3 bags. I made a new pattern to fit my desires and made 2 bags from that, and 1 fromthis tutorial. Granted, mine did seem to come out a bit more funky, but eh, I'm the one using it. I don't have a picture of that one yet, but below are the two bags I made from my pattern. I'd been saving these fabrics for YEARS! So glad I was able to use them :D

Diaper bag I made for Jessica :)

The inside. It also has a large pocket and one that will (hopefully!) hold a bottle.

The bag I made for myself - I love this fabric!

The inside fabric, also with a large, split pocket.

There were many other great things I got to do - drink with friends, Viennese Waltz with my former teacher, take in the stunning Fall colors, watch a friend's Friesian work, hang out with my siblings, go to a cookout, read books, the list goes on. It was truly a delightful return home. Here are some more pictures :)